Pencil.



W. ROLL.

' PENCIL.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 15. 1918.

Patented Jan. 14, 1919.

v ATTORNEY V have said casing not only divided longitudi- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM ROLL, OF SANDUSKY, OHIO.

PENCIL.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM ROLL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sandusky, in the county of Erie, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Pencil, of which the following is a specification. This invention relates more especially to an improved pencil comprising a casing which extends longitudinally of the Pencil and has a forwardly tapering forward end portion and is provided internally with a passage extending rearwardly from the forward extremity of the casing for receiving an endwise adjustable lead or marking element which is adapted to extend longitudinally and to project'forwardly of said passage. One object of this invention is to nally of said passage into sections employed in gripping or holding said marking element, but to have said casing provided externally with a strip of flexible material and to have said strip attached to and forming a covering for the outer surfaces of the casing-sections and arranged and utilized to effect the formation, between said sections, of a hinge-connection having its axis arranged longitudinally of the pencil.

Another object is to avoid any break in the continuity of said hinge-connection from the forward end portion to the rear end portion of the casing so as to insure the maintenance ofthe hereinbefore mentioned sections in parallel relation preparatory to the application of the means employed in locking said sections in their marking-element-holding position.

Another object is not only to rovide looking means for positively holdlng said sections in the position required to secure the marking element in the desired adjustment, but to have said sections remain connected together longitudinall of the pencil through the medium 0 the hinge-forming covering when said locking means have been removed from the casing and thereby rendered inoperative, and to render said sections free to be swung apart upon rendering said locking means inoperative.

Another object is to have said locking -means arranged externally of and embrac- Specification of Letters Patent.

in construction, and to facilitate the assemblag'e of the component parts of the pencil.

With these ob ects in view, and to attain any other object hereinafter appearing, this invention consists in certain features of construction, and combinations and relative arrangement of parts, hereinafter described in this specification, pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a side elevation of one embodiment of my invention showing two clamping or locking devices for the sections of the casing.

F ig. 2 shows a like view of the same casing after said locking means have been removed and one section has been swung back on the hinge.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of Fig. 2, the lead being omitted.

Fig. 4 1s a cross-section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section'on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the pencil showing a somewhat different form of clamping means.

Referring specifically to the drawing, it is seen that the numeral 9 designates the pencil as a whole, and 11 and 12 designate the two complemental parts or sections thereof. The pencil has the conventional sharpened end 10. A covering 13 is glued or otherwise permanently secured to the sections, said covering having a longitudinal slit 14 which coincides with the plane where the two sections meet, as Fig. 4 clearly illustrates. Hence, the sections may be swung apart, but may not become separated. Preferably said covering consists of a sin le strip of suitable flexible material, such, or instance, as linen, and extends circumferentially and longitudinally of the casing. Preferably the strip 13 extends from the forwardly tapering forward end portion 10 to the rear extremity of the casing. Said strip 13 is shown also as extending from one longitudinal edge of the casing-section 11 circumferentially or transversely of the outer surface of said section to the other longitudinal edge of said section and thence circumferentiall or transversely of the outer surface 0 the casing-section 12, and said strip has the portion thereof which forms a covering for the outer surface of a casing-section attached to said surface only.

Patented Jan. 14, 1919.

Application filed April 15, 1918. Serial No. 228,667.

The covering-forming strip 13 is therefore so applied to the two sections 11 and 12 of the illustrated casing that said sections are connected together by said strip along only two adjacent longitudinal edges of said sections, and said strip is therefore arranged to form a hingeconnection between said sections. 1

A. lead 15 of any character is laid in one of the grooves 11 and 12 of the complemental sections, and the other section is closed down upon the lead, thus holding it in the desired position. When the point of the lead has been worn down to the end of the pencil, the sections are readily separated and the lead easily pushed forward in its groove by the fingers, the point of a knife.

etc. When the sections are separated, the part 17 of the covering 13 acts as a flexible iinge.

The two sections may of course be held by thumb and finger in the position required to hold the lead or marking element in the desired adjustment, but means for positively locking said sections in said position are provided. Many forms of clips or sleeves will serve to hold the complemental sections of my pencil together. In Fig. 1, the pencil sections are shown held by a resilient split sleeve 16 having a collar 16 by which it may be more easily slid along the pencil. Such a sleeve is preferably held near the pointed end of the pencil, as shown. when it will firmly clamp the sections at the point of greatest strain. A rubber eraser of the conventional type, designated 19 in the drawing, may be slipped over the blunt end of the pencil, thus serving not only as an eraser but as an auxiliary clamp or locking device for locking the sections 11 and 12 in their inarkmg-element-holdmg position.

In Fig. 6, I have shown one of my pencils equipped with a plain split sleeve 18 which is considerably longer than sleeve 16. The advantages of my invention will now be apparent. The hinge, being a part of the cover, does not require extra labor or materials in assembling. As it is of flexible material it will not crack, bend or break. Moreover, no parts extend beyond the surface of the pencil which might catch in clothing or might irritate the skin of the users hand.

The body of .the pencil may be made of any desired material. Inasmuch as it is not to be sharpened, it does not matter how poor the grade of wood is which may be employed. I contemplate using any wood which is practically waste material, thereby effecting a great economy. It will not matter if knots or similar defects are in the body of the pencil because the covering will conceal all such imperfections. Neither will the pencil need to be finished carefully except at the ends which show, for the same reason.

Instead of wood any cellulose material such as pressed pulp, fiber, artificial ivory, celluloid, or a case in plastic may be used.

The covering is preferably made from a textile product such as linen, cotton or silk, but leather, paper and analogous materials may be used. It is my purpose to use that material which combines the qualities of strength and cheapness and I do not care to be limited to any one material.

It will be appreciated that this pencil permits using up all of each lead, thereby effecting a considerable economy to the user. Moreover, different colored lead or leads having varying degrees of hardness may be used in the same casing at different times,

thus making one casing with a set of leads actually a universal pencil, adapted for every class of work to which pencils are put.

As is well known, only a fewkinds of wood are suitable for ordinary pencil making, cedar being the most desirable kind. Every year sees the supply of good'pencil wood dwindling. The use of such a pencil as the one just described will effect in the aggregate a great economy because in the first place, good woods such as cedar will not be used; second, thewood that is to be used will hardly be fit for anything else; third, the time and labor spent in sharpening penoils and the money used for buying tools to sharpen them with will largely be saved. It requires very much less trouble to slip off the sleeve of my pencil, open the sections and push the lead forwardly than it does to sharpen an ordinary pencil.

With a hinge of the character described, the beauty of the exterior of the pencil is not m arred and the comfort of the user is not interfered with. There is nothing to catch and tear clothing and nothing to assemble. The same machine which put the cover on the pencil provides the same with a hinge.

While I have described one embodiment of my invention, I contemplate making various changes in details and desire to be limited not by the above description, but only by the following definitive claims.

By the construction hereinbefore de-' scribed, and upon further reference to the drawings, it will be observed that the lead formed by said covering is shown as extending uninterruptedly from the forward tapering end portion to the rear extremity of the casing; that two locking devices for locking the casing-sections in the position required to hold the marking element are shown arranged externally of and embrace opposite end portions respectively of said covering; that the illustrated relative arrangement of said covering and said locking devices renders the pencil attractive in appearance; that the marking element is rendered free to be readjusted or removed upon rendering said locking means inoperativc; that the Y rearward locking device formed by the eraser 19 forms a removable closure for the rear end of the passage formed by the grooves 11 and 12', and that the extension of the aforesaid hinge uninterruptedly from the forward end portion to the rear end of the casing insures maintenance of the casing-sections in parallel relation preparatory to the application of the locking means. I would remark also that my invention is not limited to any detail or feature which may be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit and purpose of my invention, and that said invention broadly embraces any pencil which not only comprises a casing divided longitudinally into sections and having a covering of flexible material, but has said covering extending longitudinally of and attached to said sections and forming a hinge having its axis arranged longitudinally of the pencil.

What is claimed is 1. In a pencil, a casing extending longitudinally of the pencil and provided internally with a passage which extends rearwardly from the forward extremity of the casing and divided longitudinally into sections, a marking element extending longitudinally and adjustable endwise of said passage and held by said sections, means to hold the sections in their marking-elementholding position, and a flexible hinge joining the sections said hinge being formed by a coverin which is adhesively attached to the exterior surface of said sections, said covering extending substantially throughout the length of said sections.

2. In a pencil, an adjustable marking element, a casing extending circumferentially of the marking element and longitudinally of the pencil and divided longitudinally into sections for gripping or holding the marking element, means for locking said sections in their pressure-exerting relation to the markin element, and a covering of flexible material, said covering extending circumferentially and longitudinally of the casing and being attached to the outer surfaces of the casing-sections and hinging said sections together, the hinge formed by said covering having its axis arranged longitudinally of the pencil, and said covering extending uninterruptedly from the forward end portion to the rear end portion of the casing.

3. In a pencil, the combination, with a marking element, of a casing extending circumferentially of the marking element and longitudinally of the pencil and having a v forwardly tapering forward end portion which is spaced at its forward extremity rearwardly from the forward extremity of a said marklng element, said casing being divided longitudinally into sections employed in gripping or holding the marking element, and a covering of flexible material, said covering exten ing rearwardly from the aforesaid tapering portion of the casing and attaohed to said sections and participating in the formation of a hinge having its axis arranged longitudinally of the pencil, and a removable sleeve locking said sections in-- 

